What's New:

July 10 2012: Version 1.3 The main questline finished, next up will be new perks and powers.

July 7 2012: Version 1.2 Independence Day has delayed things, but we are back to confront vampire snow elves.

July 3 2012: Version 1.1 We venture into the Soul Cairn and become a woodcutter seeking insects.

June 29 2012: Version 1.0 The first version of the Skyrim Dawnguard Walkthrough is live. We're going through the Dawnguard Vampire Hunter route first, but check back soon for info about the Vampire Lord path.

Dawnguard

00:05 - For this walkthrough I will be using my pre-existing character: Bortina the Orc. She's level 45 and mostly uses Conjuration, One-Handed Weapons, Restoration, Heavy Armor and Shields.

You will be seeing a lot of use of several weapons, items, and spells: Dead Thrall (And the use of two summons), Summon Flame Atronach, Close Wounds, Call Valor, Call Dragon, The Mace of Molag Bal, Mehrunes Razor, Dawnbreaker, Shield of Ysgramor, Morokei, Volsung, Ebony Mail, and Archmage's Robe. My main follower is Eola the Cannibal whom uses summoning.

Because of my set of skills most every strategy will involve brute force, melee damage, and defensive casting. There will be very little sneaking, talking, or archery involved.

00:25 - Some people may be confused about how to even start Dawnguard. First off, make sure that you are at least 10 or the first quest will not open up. Now, you can simply head to any town and listen to a guard. I headed to Riften, but all cities will work. After listening to a guard's rant you can head to the Dawnguard base in south-eastern Skyrim.

00:50 - Forelhost was my closest known location to the Dawnguard's headquarters. A short ride is enough to make it to the destination.

02:10 - A bear goes hostile as we entered, but my follower and thralls take care of it quickly.

02:30 - Ah, fellow recruit Agmaer. Yes, I was going to bash his brains in until he opened his soft lips. Together we head to the keep.

4:40 - Blade, er, Isran gives me a new crossbow. It's too heavy and I'm not much of a marksman, so that means Eola gets to carry it for now.

Awakening

00:05 - Dimhollow Crypt is our next destination, and a close fast travel point is the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon. This place is guarded by Dremora, but can be handled with a few friends. Yes, I'm a terrible shot with the crossbow both on horseback and on foot. I'll be retiring this weapon very soon.

01:40 - The crypt entrance is guarded by Death Hounds and Vampires. They aren't that tough and can be looted for some random goodies.

02:35 - The gate is locked. Head up the stairs to the south west and yank the chain.

03:20 - It was pretty foolish to not use a torch here. The light of Close Wounds in my left hand has some illumination, but not enough to actually see anything. I whiffed far too much, but thankfully Eola was by my side to clean up.

04:20 - The Vampire Nightstalker can be a pain to fight. They hit fairly hard even at my level and have a good amount of health. Luckily the draugrs are third party hostiles and can keep the stronger vampires busy.

06:00 - The problem with being a summoner that has hired another summoner is it can get confusing fighting an enemy summoner. My hesitation mostly comes from thinking the enemy thrall is Eola's. Speaking of her, where the hell was Eola during this fight?

07:50 - Poking around the dungeon for some treasures. This potion seems to just be sitting around, making it unlikely to be random.

08:13 - I actually died to this caster the first time wearing poor armor and charging in like a fool; no need for this clip to include my charred death. I at least learned my lesson and fought defensively (ran like a fat baby and let Eola deal with it).

09:25 - These guys aren't hard on their own, but taking all of them is pretty daunting. The initial fleeing is mostly to break up the group and try and take them one by one.

10:44 - Take that Nightstalker! Time to be raised as an undead-vampire thrall..thing.

Part 2

00:13 - What is this? The Switch has made my dead thrall hostile. Is it a bug or a feature of the new vampires? Oh well, let's just kill her again and reset things.

01:20 - The objective of this puzzle is to push the braziers until they are inflamed.

02:38 - Achievement unlocked for saving Serana. Now to make our way out of here.

05:19 - A gargoyle attacks, but is no match for the large entourage I have with me.

06:27 - Cheese and rice, it really took me this long to take out a torch so I can see what's going on. I look forward to the anger from the internet.

07:10 - The exit is locked, but can be opened with the switch over here.

08:10 - This arena is occupied by skeletons and a dragon priest. This semi-boss doesn't have any cool mask to steal, though.

10:24 - Before leaving you can gain the power word Stamina to use the Drain Vitality shout. I unlock this ability but have yet to bother using it. It may help when I'm low on both health and magicka.

Bloodline

00:20 - Serana has asked me to take her home tonight (sweet) and to meet her over at the docks of North Watch Keep. I have no clue where this is, so time to ride Shadowmere into the sunset.

02:50 - This is where the questline paths will start to split. If you want to experience being both a Vampire Hunter and a Vampire you should save around here. I try to do so as well, but can't during a conversation.

05:12 - Becoming a Vampire Lord will take away my Werewolf form. I've put in too much time with the Companions to give up my current powers. This isn't so much anti-vampire as it is pro-Aela the Huntress. I decline Harkon's offer for now, but will try it out on my next run.

08:06 - Vampires attack the Dawnguard, but we are able to take them down. Uh, but the Dawnguard is hostile to me and my party. Is it because I resurrect vampires? Or due to the fact that I'm a known thief and assassin with a bounty on my head? Either way, two of my Dawnguard allies die for their foolishness.

09:38 - I wait for a full day to get rid of Isran's hostile status. My next assignment is recruiting new members of the Dawnguard. This may be due to the fact that I just killed the old members, but not likely.

13:34 - Oh, but how about a new Master Vampire slave!

A New Order

00:15 - Gunmar is near Ivarstead...fighting a bear. It seems that he wants to fight another bear. That bear is in a cave.

01:46 - Ah bears, the mortal enemies of Skyrim and freedom. The power of Molag Bal will purify them of their sins.

03:12 - Sorine is in North-West Skyrim. My closest location is Bruca's Leap Redoubt, which is still a good ways east of where I need to be. Also, what's the dragons breathing ice on you?

05:20 - See you later, Dragon Lords!

08:04 - Right, need to find Sorine some Greek food. Her bag is right down the ledge and along the stream.

09:30 - Shouldn't that beam kill my vampire thrall? What if I was infected with normal vampirism?

15:46 - Looks like the college of Winterhold has knowledge of the Moth Priest. Luckily I'm already the Archmage there. For the rest of you, you may have to do some questing to even have access to the college.

Prophet

00:05 - Urag go-Shub knows about the Moth Priest's whereabouts. It may be due to my college rank, but he is quick to reveal the location of Dragon's Bridge. Before leaving I do some training with Colette.

01:29 - Looks like I'm wanted (Wanted, dead or alive). Time to kill a few guards and wait until morning.

03:10 - The adults know jack about the Moth Priest, but small child Clinton tells me what he knows while fondling a corpse.

04:22 - The vampire's letter leads me to a place known as Forebears' Holdout, which is east of my current location.

07:57 - Malkus has a Weystone Focus which will be used to free the Moth Priest. I gather up a fresh Thrall and head to the panel.

09:35 - I had to bash Dexion's face in to get him to calm down.

16:30 - Serana has a plan to penetrate mount doom, but she won't allow a greenhorn like Eola to come along.

Chasing Echoes

00:06 - Eola, you're fired.

00:23 - The rear passage of Castle Volkihar is guarded by skeletons. They are frail, but should still be dealt with.

03:04 - This lever will open the way. Also, new thrall!

05:00 - A dead spider, a new path, and a chest. Yes, I'm a terrible lock pick but the job gets done eventually.

08:00 - The three crests are scattered around the garden, but shine in the pale moonlight.

10:50 - The Gargoyle Brutes can hit hard, so switch to some tougher armor. The loot off them is nice if you do a lot of smiting.

Part 2

00:06 - Pull the chain to unlock the gate. That gargoyle will bust out and attack, though.

00:59 - Gargoyle Sentinels are an even stronger tier of gargoyles. I've died to these when acting rashly, so be sure to heal quickly and have strong defenses.

02:34 - This Vampire Royal Armor isn't to my playstyle, but full casters may enjoy its high 125% magicka regeneration.

03:42 - The passage can be opened by flipping the candlestick.

04:19 - I'm mostly grabbing these gems for my own conjuration use, but they will be used very soon.

05:37 - Oh, er, what? Yeah Valerica's journal is right over here...with its long smooth tail..ahem.

07:43 - The finely ground bone meal can be found among the rest of the bones on the southern table.

07:51 - The purified salts are on the final shelf among fire and ice salts.

08:04 - All that is needed now is Serana's blood. Speak to her and you'll be able to open the way to the Soul Cairn.

09:23 - Oh god why is this portal murdering me!

09:50 - Turns out that I need to either become a vampire or put party of my soul in a soul gem. I pick the latter option even if it makes me weaker and disappoints the readers that want to see the new vampire form.

Beyond Death

00:46 - A lost souls searches for his horse Arvak. The horse's skull can be found in the far east side of the map and is guarded by mistmen.

03:06 - With Arvak's skull recovered I am able to summon a new stead from the conjuration spell list.

11:08 - Valerica wants Serana and I to take down three Keepers that power the castle's barrier.

Part 2

00:18 - My trapped soul has reduced all of my core stats: Magicka, health, and stamina are all greatly damaged.

01:35 - Because my health is so low I'm reduced to running around and summoning, rather than getting in close and bashing faces.

02:52 - Serana can carry this stuff. She needs better gear anyway.

03:48 - My lowered health makes things even worse when I'm up against both a Wrathman and a Keeper. Lots of running away involved.

07:07 - I'm ambushed on the way to Keeper 3, but the enemies aren't that tough.

08:44 - The third and final Keeper can be reached by jumping in this well.

09:40 - This Keeper's bow is much easier to deal with compared to the melee users. Healing and summoners were still my best option.

11:05 - The exit is at the top of the tower.

Part 3

01:00 - Double flame atronachs and other ranged skills were the best tactics for combating the dragon. This would be worlds easier if I hadn't opted to trap my soul.

04:30 - It appears a dead dragon does not give you a new dragon soul.

10:04 - Dat old scroll!

10:30 - Time to get my soul un-trapped.

Part 4

00:02 - Durnehviir is waiting outside the gate, but he seems to be on my side now.

02:46 - A new word of power: Curse, Summon Durnehviir.

06:46 - Yeah I got lost here. Luckily I stumbled on the teleport well.

07:02 - My stats were restored once possessing this gem.

08:55 - Let's get out of this horrible town.

Unseen Visions

00:03 - First off we still need to get our main game Dragon Elder Scroll from the College of Winterhold. And of course a big stupid dragon attacks. Thankfully all of the mages help to fight.

01:16 - Urag will sell it back for 4,000 gold. Since I'm the Archmage I convince him to drop it down to 2,000.

01:50 - Guess those coins just disappear

02:20 - Returning to Dexion with all three Elder Scrolls, it appears he is blind. Still a good smith, though.

04:31 - Despite the marker being close to Falkreath, it wasn't so simple as heading to the east. I got to this location by traveling to Fort Neugrad and running up the hill to the south-west.

04:48 - Mt thrall goes hostile again. We fight, and then it calms down when I sheath my weapon.

im doing the quest revealing the unseen but the dude at the door wont talk to me or die so i cant finish the quest cant go back to a previous save cause thats way to far back need help ppl and i am playing 360

i purchased dawngaurd for skyrim and found the entrance and am still being attacked by everyone! I can't fight the whole army! How do I enter just as a vampire? I'm level 11 so it shouldn't be a problem right? I can't enter any towns either without all the villagers killing me. Please help!!!

I was having a great time until I hit an irreversible bug. SPOILER-at the part of the quest "New Order" where you're supposed to help Gunmar fight a bear in a cave, the bear has not appeared once. The only thing inside was a troll, so we killed that. Then the quest arrow was stuck on the ground, and Gunmar kept saying "We have to stop this beast" or something like that. I triied uninstalling and reinstalling the dlc, to no effect. So I uninstalled the DLC and tried to load my save without it the extras, and it hasn't worked once, the game keeps freezing before it loads. Hope there is some kind of fix for this soon.